Saffron Days in L.A.

by Bhante Walpola Piyananda

  I heard a shriek as Sovi grabbed the telephone from her.

  He screamed, “Bhante, I am going to kill this dirty woman. I will kill my children and kill myself, too. I do not want my children to suffer any more than they have because of the shame their mother has brought to our family.”

  I knew I had to make a quick decision. I responded to his threat with compassion. “Sovi, please listen to me. You are going to make a lot of trouble for me if you don’t stop. When you kill Mimi, of course you’ll end up in jail. I will have to visit you regularly because I love you. It’s too much work for me! I can help you solve your problem. Please return to Los Angeles and come directly to the temple. I will be waiting for you. Promise me that you will come here with Mimi now.”

  “Okay,” he responded slowly, then quickly hung up.

  I wasn’t certain that he would keep his word, so I went to his house and returned to the temple with the three young children and their grandmother. I gave them shelter in the adjacent building and waited for Sovi’s return.

  It was in the wee hours of the morning that I heard the doorbell. I hadn’t been able to sleep, of course, and I was relieved. When I opened the front door I was shocked to see that Sovi had become nearly insane with rage. He was dragging Mimi behind him with one hand and was carrying a gun in the other.

  I told them to follow me to the Shrine Room. They walked behind me silently, and then I told Sovi to put the gun on the ground. After he obliged, I questioned him about his uncontrollable anger. I said, “Calm down or there will be a tragedy here tonight.”

  “Bhante, this woman always comes home very late after work. I know she is up to no good. Tonight I went to her working place and waited in the parking lot until she came out. There she was, leaving the building hand in hand with another man. I aimed my gun at the bastard but he ran away. I grabbed Mimi and pushed her into my car and drove toward the desert, where I was going to kill her.”

  “Sovi, you are a good man,” I replied reassuringly. “You are good-looking, and you have a well-paying, respected trade. You can have a beautiful woman if you want to. If your wife isn’t faithful to you, then let her go. Keep your cool and start a new life.”

  My words appeased Sovi. He then wanted to know where his children were, because when he called home there was no answer. I told him that the children were with me within the temple premises.

  When I finally got him calmed down, I took him to see his children. I made him leave his gun with me and allowed him to go home with his family.

  Sovi called me two days later saying that he was moving out with his children; he had found a place closer to his job. A year later he visited me with his new wife and children. They all seemed to be happy.

  Another year passed and Mimi came to see me. Her love, Roberto, had left her. He was already married when he was courting her and had eventually dumped her to return to his wife, who was living in his native land.

  Mimi cried her heart out. She regretted that she hadn’t followed my advice. She begged me to call Sovi to allow her to visit her children.

  I obliged Mimi and called Sovi. At first he was furious. Later, however, when I explained his ethical and paternal obligations, he came around and agreed to my request.

  I did not want to judge Mimi for what she had done in the past. I blessed her and told her that I hoped she would gain a better understanding of human nature and develop her self-respect. I admonished her to follow the Five Precepts of Buddhism from that day forward, and she gave me her word that she would do so.

  From lust arises grief,

  From lust arises fear.

  For him who is free from lust

  There is no grief, much less fear.3

  Like a monkey in the forest

  You jump from tree to tree,

  Never finding the fruit—

  From life to life,

  Never finding peace.4

  TWELVE

  Buddhist Prosperity

  I lived with Reverend Muthima from South Africa in the Garrett Methodist Seminary’s dormitory at Northwestern University. Reverend Muthima was a Baptist minister who was studying for his Ph.D. He became my close friend, since he lived in the room next to mine. He often advised me very seriously to convert to Christianity. He believed that if I didn’t become a Christian, I would certainly go to hell. We often had friendly arguments about religions. I seldom questioned his beliefs, since I respected his philosophy even though I didn’t believe it myself. Unfortunately, Reverend Muthima always expressed how much he despised my faith, and it seemed to me that his outlook was very narrow. He was completely unwilling to explore other religious beliefs, let alone have faith in them.

  It is with humor that I recall how he tried to humiliate me in front of the students. I remember we were both teaching assistants in Dr. Perry’s comparative religion class. Dr. Perry was absent that day and I was assigned to teach “The Noble Eightfold Path.” After the lesson Reverend Muthima stood up and praised me. Then he added, “My brother Piyananda, I have a great regard for you, therefore I do not want you to go to hell.”

  “Why do you think I’ll go to hell?” I responded, smiling.

  “The Bible says, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall have ever lasting life.’ The Bible says this, so please accept Christianity, as only the Christians can go to heaven.”

  I was amused at his remark. I took the opportunity to make him stop trying to convert me. “Reverend, you will go to heaven with the other good people. Even in heaven you will be arguing about the various theories of religion. Your arguments will be an obstacle to my meditation. Therefore, I prefer to go to hell. Then I will be of service to the suffering.”

  Since that incident, Reverend Muthima never attempted to make me a Christian again. Yet, he always seemed to gain pleasure by looking upon Buddhism as a pessimistic religion.

  One day he told the class that Buddhism is a religion for people who have renounced the world. He also added that Buddhism emphasizes impermanence and suffering. He believed that Buddhist countries were poor because of this.

  I remained silent because I knew I would get a chance to answer him.

  The following week was my turn to conduct the lesson. I was well prepared to respond to Reverend Muthima.

  I began my lesson. “Buddhism is neither a pessimistic nor an optimistic religion. It is a realistic religion. The Buddha preached about the way in which an individual could be successful in life. He wanted people to strive hard to become their best in life; he wanted them to acquire wealth, while at the same time stressing that it had to be acquired through lawful and just means. He did not advocate pessimism. In fact, he taught his close devotee Anatapindika, ‘Householder, there are five merits of earning wealth.’ Let me explain to you what these five merits are.

  “First of all, a wealthy person can live a healthy, happy, and long life, fulfilling all his needs. He can provide for his parents, his wife and children, and all dependents.

  “Second, he can make provisions for his friends and associates.

  “Third, when money is earned in a righteous manner, he can ward off any calamity.

  “Fourth, he can make religious offerings, as well as help and entertain his friends and relatives.

  “Finally, he can help those religious teachers who have given up their worldly desires.1

  “Thus did the Buddha explain how to spend money wisely. Furthermore, he said that to lead a happy, successful life one must be generous, whether rich or poor. It is not the wealth amassed by an individual, but the generosity that matters.

  “The idle can never be rich. The Buddha explained that there are three types of people. The first is the type who does not strive and who lacks enthusiasm; he is compared by the Buddha to a blind person; he doesn’t have enough money to fend for himself, and neither can he help others.

  “The second is the type of person who spends all that he has inherited. He is selfish and t
hinks only about himself. Therefore, he does not think about life after death. Also in this second category are people who practice charity and help others, but neglect their family’s welfare and don’t lead full lives.

  “The third type of person, however, is the one who strives hard to make a success of his life, and therefore reaps the best benefits. He is happy in this life and he will be happy in the next life as well.2

  “In the Vyaggapajja Sutta the Buddha advised that there are four things that lead to happiness. First of all, one should be skilled, efficient, earnest, and devoted to his profession. Second, one should carefully protect what he has earned through his righteous efforts. Third, one should associate only with wise, virtuous friends. And fourth, one should spend wisely, and in proportion to his income, enabling him to live within his means.3 Furthermore, the Buddha also advised women as to how to manage the household economy. He instructed them to be aware of household responsibilities and to manage the finances efficiently, always having enough of a nest egg for a rainy day.

  “The Buddha never praised poverty. He has said, ‘Poverty is an ordeal for a person who is living a household life.’ Therefore, the Buddha’s advice to householders was to try to earn wealth justly, to spend it in a proper way, and to live a useful life.

  “Speaking about a merchant who wished to be successful in his business, the Buddha said, ‘A salesman should know the quality of the goods he buys; he should also know their price, and the amount of profit he gains on their sale; he should be skilled in the art of buying and selling; he should be honest and trustworthy, so that wealthy persons would deposit their money in his care.4

  “On another occasion, the Buddha said that a trader should be active in his businesses throughout the day. If he is inactive and lazy, he will not be successful.5

  “Before the passing away of the Buddha, he visited the village Pataligama and addressed his devotees, saying that the truly virtuous person was vigilant and energetic, and thereby, he would be successful in his business. He could earn a great mass of wealth as a result.6

  “In the Sigalovada Sutta the Buddha advised about how to use income. ‘Divide the income into four parts. One portion should be spent for one’s daily expenses. Two portions should be used for the progression of one’s businesses. One part should be deposited carefully for future use in case of failure or emergency.’7

  “The Buddha was not against earning wealth righteously, however, he strongly advised people to not earn money the wrong way. The wrong ways he mentioned are by taking away life, by stealing, by cheating, and by producing and selling intoxicants or drugs. He also forbade making and selling poison and weapons that destroy human and animal life. Finally, trading in slaves was prohibited.

  “The Buddha mentioned many ways of losing wealth. They are debauchery, drunkenness, gambling, addiction to intoxicants, loitering unnecessarily in the streets at unsuitable hours, haunting fairs, gambling, and associating with evil companions and idle company. Furthermore, the Buddha advised us on the correct way of doing things, a way that fosters the development of both human beings and their societies. The Buddha taught people how to improve themselves materially as well as spiritually. He gave his advice equally to kings as well as to peasants.”

  At this point Reverend Muthima interrupted. “Isn’t poverty a result of bad karma from an unwholesome past life, according to your religion?” he asked.

  I replied that poverty might be a result either of a past karma, or of a present karma, or of both. But most karmas, according to the Buddha, can be supplanted by the wise and far-seeing decisions one makes in the present.

  I continued. “The Buddha said, ‘There are certain unwholesome karmas that can be suppressed and overcome by means of wise and strong steps taken in this life.8 Furthermore he explained, ‘Who once was heedless is heedless no more, brightens the world like the moon set free from clouds.’9

  “Most often it is due to decisions made in the present life that past karma, good or bad, is able to rise up and find the opportunity to create its result. Therefore, the efforts that are made in present time are the preeminent causes of most people’s gains or failures.

  “Thus, it becomes clear to us that Buddhism is not a pessimistic religion. The Buddha explained how happiness is the natural result of having and using one’s wealth wisely. He also explained how everyone could find happiness through the proper development of both themselves and society.

  “Despite the misconception that Buddhism is only for those who renounce the world, Buddhism acknowledges that building up wealth is one of the fundamental activities of life. The Buddha himself even gave us many wise guidelines for properly acquiring wealth; however, he always stressed the point that the real reason for having wealth is to promote the development of higher human potential, and not for frivolous selfish pursuits.”

  Reverend Muthima replied, “My brother, I understand your philosophy and your practice a lot better now. The more I discuss Buddhism with you, even though I’m not sure if you’ll make it to heaven, I am quite certain that you won’t be going to hell.”

  I smiled at Reverend Muthima, who remains devoted to Christianity to this day.

  Speak the truth.

  Give whatever you can.

  Never be angry.

  These three practices will lead you

  Into the presence of the gods.10

  THIRTEEN

  Healing Powers of Chanting

  It is a tradition in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos for males to enter the monastery and practice as novices for at least one week. This period may also last for as long as one year. It is believed that the men who undergo this training develop more well-rounded characters than those who do not.

  One summer I was given four Thai novices to train for a week. Suwat, Vipa, Seevali, and Anando were in their midteens. Their parents confided in me that they were having some disciplinary problems with their sons. They were concerned that they would soon lose control of the boys, if they didn’t learn personal responsibility and appropriate social and spiritual values. Because of their cultural background in Buddhist societies, the parents believed that it was only in the temple under the auspices of the sangha that their sons could develop these important traits.

  When they arrived at the temple early in the morning, I gave the boys a pep talk on how to conduct themselves in the monastery, as well as on the importance and signifi-cance of the training they were about to undergo. There are also certain rituals that are involved in the ordination ceremony, which must be followed, and I explained these to the young men.

  At ten o’clock in the morning the monks of the Vihara assembled in the Shrine Room and sat according to seniority. The parents of the four boys were already in the room, sitting on the floor. The candidates entered the room wearing the simple white robes of the novice and proceeded to offer flowers to the Buddha and to the monks. Then they joined their parents, knelt on the floor in the customary manner, and paid their respects to the Buddha and the members of the sangha by bowing three times to each. The senior monk then asked the boys if they had permission from their parents to become novices. At this point in the traditional ceremony, each young man formally asked permission from his parents to join the Order of Samanera, or novice monks. Afterward, each one bowed down before his parents three times. It was a proud and emotional moment for the parents as well as for the candidates.

  The candidates left the Shrine Room accompanied by two monks who shaved their heads. Then they returned, carrying the eight articles necessary for a monk, which are the alms bowl, two robes, one under-robe, one belt, a sewing kit, a water strainer, and a razor.

  The boys looked completely different with no hair, and I watched with amusement the parents’ reactions to seeing their sons this way. The boys bowed before the sangha, and the most senior monk, assisted by another monk, began the ordination ceremony, which took approximately thirty minutes, including time for a blessing chant. Then the newly ordained novices took the
ir places next to the sangha members. When they were seated on the dais, their parents came forward, presented gifts to their sons, and bowed before them three times.

  The training period, which began immediately after the ceremony, went forward smoothly as planned. I started teaching them Pali chanting, the traditional form, which was originally chanted by the Buddha for the blessing and protection of his disciples and devotees. These suttas, or sermons in chanting form, were originally passed down orally. They were recorded on palm leaves about twenty-one hundred years ago and later compiled into books.

  Paritta chanting is specifically for protecting ourselves from evil spirits, misfortune, sickness, and the negative influences of the planetary systems. Paritta chanting is practiced all over the world, especially in Theravada Buddhist countries. The first thing I taught the new novices were Paritta chants.1 The rhythm of the chanting is important, and the vibrant sounds create a pleasant field of energy for the listeners as well as for the chanters.2 The monks chant the suttas with various intonations to produce vibrations that can calm the mental state of all participants. When devoted and experienced monks chant with compassion and concentration, powerful thought and sound waves emit from their hearts, minds, and voices and touch the core beings of sincere listeners who are open to receiving their blessings.3

  On one occasion when a child was reported to be under the influence of evil forces, the Buddha advised the monks to recite the suttas to ward off the evil forces.4 When you learn and chant these suttas, their vibrations will be beneficial to you.

  “May I ask you a question, Bhante?” asked Suwat very weakly.

  “Yes, you may, Suwat,” I replied.

  “Bhante, you related what happened during the days of the Buddha. In your experience, have you or anyone else ever benefited from this chanting?”

  “Of course, there have been many instances. As a matter of fact, one particularly remarkable story about the results of chanting comes to mind.”